West Palm Beach Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Don’t risk accepting an inferior settlement for your motorbike collision. Instead, get full compensation by working with a West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer.

If you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle crash, odds are good that your injuries are serious and will require a substantial amount of medical care to recover from. This level of care is often expensive, and it can easily leave you buried in debt at a time when your injuries prevent you from working. This is a terrible situation to be in, and if you didn’t cause the accident, you deserve to be compensated for these expenses and your other losses.

This is a difficult proposition, however, as your compensation will most likely need to come from an insurance company. Even if your claim is going through your own insurance company, you can’t assume that you’ll be treated fairly. These corporations are primarily concerned with their own profits, and if they can get away with paying you the bare minimum, they will.

By working with a West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Casey D. Shomo, you can avoid being taken advantage of by an insurance company. We can deal with the insurance company or the at-fault party’s attorneys so that you can focus on what really matters: your recovery.

Dealing with an Insurance Company After a Motorcycle Crash

As mentioned, even if you’re filing a claim with your own insurance, you have to be wary about making certain that you get treated fairly. While they can’t blame you for the motorbike wreck, they’ll probably try to get you to settle before you can retain a West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer and discover what your claim is really worth.

Insurance adjusters are trained to appear sympathetic while only offering enough to make you think that you’re getting a good deal. In all likelihood, an initial settlement offer will fall far short of what your crash-related expenses will eventually amount to. Many motorcyclists are shocked to discover how little they can count on their insurer to provide them with honest answers.

Things get even more difficult if you’re filing a personal injury claim with another driver’s insurance company. In this case, they will try to blame you for the collision, because any fault they can push onto you will reduce what they have to pay you. This is especially treacherous for motorcycle riders, because if your case goes to trial, they’ll likely try to use popular stereotypes of motorcyclists as reckless drivers to sway the jury against you.

Negligence and Motorbike Accidents

In order to get a fair settlement out of the insurance company, it will be necessary to develop a case that puts you into a strong negotiating position. By demonstrating exactly how you weren’t at fault for what happened, your West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer can increase the likelihood that your case will settle out of court according to your terms.

An investigation into what happened will be necessary, as the more evidence and witness testimony that can be found to backup your version of events, the better. These are just a few of the common causes of motorcycle wrecks and how negligence comes into play:

Distracted Driving – The cause of thousands of accidents, distracted driving is particularly dangerous for motorcyclists as their smaller frame makes it even more likely that a driver who isn’t paying attention will crash into them.

Driver Intoxication – Perversely, accidents caused by drunk drivers typically cause more severe injuries to the victims than to the intoxicated driver. This is especially bad for motorcyclists who have little to no protection in a crash.

Dangerous Roads – Hazardous road conditions are particularly dangerous for motorcycle riders. A pothole, improper shoulder drop-off, or uneven lane can upend a bike and potentially make the government entity responsible for the road financially liable.

Speeding – Because of their smaller size, some drivers have difficulties properly gauging space between themselves and motorcycles. When a driver is speeding, it reduces the available reaction time, making a misjudgment and resulting crash more likely.

What Should Be Included in a Motorcycle Collision Settlement

Once your West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer has determined who was at fault and gathered all the necessary evidence, the next step will be determining what your personal injury claim is worth. This should be done before even thinking about accepting a settlement offer so that you can be certain that the payout you receive is comprehensive.

A real settlement will cover future damages in addition to current ones. It will also account for how your quality of life has degraded because of the crash and your injuries. It’s not enough to only receive compensation for your financial losses.

Your expenses are easier to calculate as they have tangible dollar values associated with them. Medical bills, therapy expenses, lost wages and income, and property damage are just a few examples. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, include pain and suffering, emotional trauma, disfigurement, loss of consortium, and simple lost enjoyment of life.

The Impact of Your Motorcycle Injuries on Your Financial Compensation

What injuries you suffer in the motorbike collision will have a substantial effect on the type of compensation you can recover. Some injuries will require more medical care than others, and some injuries will result in permanent disabilities while others will heal fine in time.

These are just a few of the crash injuries that your West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer will have experience with and know how to properly value:

Traumatic brain injuries

Spine and neck injuries

Broken and fractured bones

Amputations

Friction burns

Internal bleeding and organ damage

Wrongful death

West Palm Beach Motorcycle Accident FAQ

It’s perfectly normal to have many questions and concerns after a motorcycle crash. We’ve answered a few common questions below, but if you would like more information, please contact our firm so that you can speak with a West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer.

Will I be blamed for my motorcycle wreck if I wasn’t wearing a helmet?

If you suffered injuries to your brain, face, or skull, it’s possible that you’ll be found partially responsible as you could have protected yourself by wearing a helmet. However, as long as someone else was partially at fault, you can still seek monetary compensation.

Am I at fault for the accident if my motorcycle was the only vehicle involved?

Not necessarily. A single-vehicle motorcycle crash could easily be caused by a road in disrepair or a defective motorcycle part or tire. Just because yours was the only vehicle, it doesn’t necessarily follow that you are to blame for the crash.

Can I recover compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder caused by a motorcycle collision?

Yes, PTSD might not be a visible injury, but it can have a dramatic and very real effect on your quality of life all the same. Your settlement should cover the cost of therapy and medication, as well as compensate you for the damage done to your lifestyle, work, and personal relationships.

Contact a West Palm Beach Motorcycle Crash Attorney

The best way to ensure that you get fairly compensated for your motorcycle wreck injuries and damages is to work with the Law Offices of Casey D. Shomo. We take pride in delivering the largest settlements possible to our clients, and we’ll give your claim the care and attention to detail it deserves.